Between the cargo pants and the group of teenagers using his first name, it's hard to pick out Scott as the teacher in the room.

"It's not always changing," Scott told Bednard, getting a smile and a few chuckles from the other students in the studio.

It's all in a day's work at Davison High School during the daily production of DTV, the district's student-produced television news program. It's a class where attention to detail intersects with an energetic, casual atmosphere. The vibe here feels more like a working newsroom than a high school classroom.

For example, students are allowed to use their cell phones in class, as long as it's for a story. Also, all the students call Scott "Randy." During an hour in class Monday, not one student addresses him as "Mr. Scott." Scott doesn't mind.

The production has recently been honored as one of the best high school news programs in the country, nominated as one of four finalists for the prestigious Pacemaker Award from the National Scholastic Press Association. DTV won the award in 2003 and 2008. Also, Bednard is a finalist for national Sports Story of the Year for his profile on a Davison swimmer.

After about 10 years at the helm, Scott has a feel for what works.

"We try to get out in the world," he said, adding that students just wrapped up a large project on the election, and have done large stories on weighty topics such as Flint's economy.

Scott said there were several factors about last year's class that earned it the Pacemaker nomination.

"It was a lot of experience and a lot of good stories," he said.

The 10-minute broadcast runs throughout the district as well as on a public channel to cable subscribers in the Davison area. The broadcast is also streamed live through the district's website.

Everything about the production, from getting the stories to writing the scripts to editing and anchoring, is done by students. Most of these jobs are done on a rotation, usually with a senior spending the year as executive producer.

"It's amazing how similar this is to an actual newsroom," said Weston Cowan, a Davison grad who served as executive producer last year. Cowan will travel to Texas this month for the NSPA awards ceremony.

It's hard to point to why last year's team was so successful, said Cowan, 18.

"It's partially our teacher, Randy," Cowan said.

Back in the studio, mics are tested and anchors do a final test. The teleprompters are loaded with the day's script. In the control room, a group of students wearing headsets watch the clock. It's 1:28 p.m., showtime.

Bednard is standing at attention at the sports desk. Anchors Chalen Bailey and Lindsay Gerber wait for word from the control room.

"OK, standby on the open," said Jake Beaver, working as director. "And roll the open.

The broadcast goes on without any problems a casual viewer would pick up. Nobody flubs their lines, story packages run where they're supposed to. The main story, about improvements to the high school building over the summer, includes plenty of footage of the school and interviews with students and staffers. Bednard manages to emphasize the A in Carman.

But like any good newsman, Scott sees room for improvement.

"My anchors get a B today," Scott tells the class, huddled together in the studio after the broadcast. "Because Chalen had the bed head look and Shawn, too fast."

Bailey blushes and looks at his hair in the reflection in his iPhone. He pushes it over to one side and pats it down, perhaps planning his look for the next day's broadcast.

It's a simple critique, but the kind common in the place Scott and his students have created here. It's a place where details matter.